Keep Your Friends Close
by Floatlikeafeather
Summary: Carla has caught on to Robert's scheming, what lengths will he go to to protect his secret?
1. Chapter 1

Carla rolled over as she woke from a deep, dreamful sleep, searching for him in the bed next to her, feeling the pang of disappointment when she realised that she was alone. She closed her eyes, willing herself to return to the dream she had been so enjoying, but the moment had passed, the vividness of just seconds ago had already faded, as dreams always do. What a dream it had been though. She smiled at the memory as she reached for her phone from the bedside table and read the message she knew would be waiting for her.

Morning gorgeous, let me know when you're up x

It had been four weeks now since he had moved out of the flat but it already felt like an eternity. In truth, thrown out would be a more accurate description of events. She had been furious at the time, initially at Peter for recruiting those closest to her to spy on her every move; but as time went on she realised his intentions, however misplaced, had been good, and her anger moved from him to the situation she was in. It still scared her to think of where she had been just a few short weeks ago, that it was possibly only the medication stopping her from returning to that place, losing her mind all over again. She had discussed this with her psychologist but tried to push it to the back of her mind, she certainly didn't want Peter to know the extent of her fears; she felt so much better, and wanted those around her to see that, to stop treating her like she could break at any moment.

Did she regret making him leave? That was a tricky question; she certainly missed him, but it also had its advantages. He was still a constant in her life, but she felt like she was more in control now; she had enjoyed making him work for her forgiveness, playfully torturing him for far longer than he deserved. She had needed him to see her as an independent woman again; she knew he loved her, but wanted that spark of electricity when he looked at her, to see lust in his eyes rather than concern. Well that objective had definitely been achieved.

She tapped out a reply to his message.

Morning baby, I've been dreaming about you x

His response came back within seconds

Nothing too clean I hope? ;)

He was so predictable, but she wouldn't want it any other way. She contemplated getting up. Peter had a cab shift until mid-afternoon, and she had nowhere to be; Roy would be busy in the café and Michelle was no doubt off meeting some clients in her swanky new job. Carla still hadn't quite got used to having no responsibilities; everyone who asked her was fed the same line, that she was loving the freedom, but in reality boredom was starting to set in. It was an itch she just couldn't scratch, lady of leisure just wasn't her style. What choice did she have though? Peter had made it clear that he didn't think she could cope with taking on anything too challenging, but was he just being over-protective? Was it worth the risk of finding out? She wondered if she should swallow her pride and go back to working at the Bistro, at least it would give her something to do whilst she waited for a better opportunity to come along. The money wouldn't hurt either, she hated relying on Peter and Roy for everything, they had already done more than enough. She decided to call in later, see if Robert was still willing to employ her. 

* * *

Chaos met her as she entered the restaurant, she could tell straight away that they were short-handed, the usually laid back Daniel looked mithered as three separate tables fought for his attention, whilst Kate was just out of earshot at the far side of the Bistro, clearly apologising to a fourth.

"Blimey, what on earth's happening here?"

Carla hadn't really expected a response, Daniel glanced in her direction but was clearly too busy to explain without angering the punters further. She smiled to herself, if there's one thing she had always been good at it was taking control in a crisis. Throwing her bag into the office she rushed into the kitchen, expecting Robert but instead facing a terrified looking kid; if he hadn't been in a chef's uniform she would have guessed was still at college, certainly not trying to cater a full lunchtime service solo.

"What's going on? Where's Robert?"

"Umm I'm not sure, I'm just the emergency cover. I was the only person available but they said it wouldn't be busy.."

He looked like he was about to cry, and limited as her sympathy usually was, Carla felt her heart go out to him.

"Right, we can sort this, I can't cook to save my life, but I can organise so let's work out what you need to do first, which orders have been waiting the longest?"

He looked relieved as they came up with a quick plan together and he started preparing the orders, and as she busied herself making drinks to placate the waiting diners Carla felt a sense of purpose for the first time in weeks. Kate clearly still had a lot to learn as a manager, that poor kid could definitely cook, he was just overwhelmed and needed guidance; and as for Robert, well she still didn't have a clue what would be so urgent for him to leave his business in this state. At least it should be a breeze getting her job back.

* * *

Peter pulled up at the side of the road and checked his watch, if he made good time he'd be home by four. He grabbed his phone and grinned as he typed out the text message he'd been looking forward to sending all day.

Right love, I'm about to clock off. Fancy some afternoon delight? x

He started his drive home, anticipating her response, although in honesty he was pretty sure what the answer would be; they had fallen into an easy routine over the past weeks, their relationship feeling new and exciting, but at the same time stronger than ever. Although he would never admit it to her, he was glad that she had forced him to move out, she had been right that he needed distance to realise the progress made in her recovery, that she really was OK now, and the dynamic of his relationship with her had changed from carer to lover. He hadn't thought it was possible to love her more than he already did, but having faced the possibility of losing her, being with her now and watching her enjoying life again, flirting and laughing and seemingly free from all the emotional baggage she had carried around for so long, he felt more in love than ever.

When she hadn't responded within fifteen minutes he began to feel uneasy, after all she had no other plans that he knew of and she was normally very quick to answer. He decided to call her and when this too proved fruitless, he called Roy, who informed him that she had gone out hours ago but hadn't said where to. By the time he got back to the street he had begun to really worry, calling first at Roy's in case she had returned home, then to the pub, with no success. His final option was the Bistro, both Kate and Michelle weren't answering their phones, so he headed over, that familiar feeling of dread growing by the second. 

* * *

When Carla finally had a moment to check her phone it was almost five and she was greeted by six missed calls and several texts from Peter, each more panicked than the last. So much for him trusting her! She was just about to reply when the Bistro doors swung open and he came rushing through, his expression switching from fear to relief as he caught sight of her, quickly replaced by anger as he got closer to where she was standing. Well she could do anger too, and there was no way she wanted a showdown in public.

"We're not doing this here" she hissed, storming past Kate; not looking back until she was sure they were in private. She turned to face him, saw fire in his eyes, readied herself for the coming argument as he began.

"Is it really too much to ask, after everything you've put us through, for you to just answer your damn phone? I've been worried sick!"

"One poxy hour Peter" she retorted "You can't get hold of me for one hour and this is how you react. I am allowed my own life you, know, how many times are we going to have to do this?!"

"Why can you not understand that I worry about you. All it would have taken was one quick message!"

She could see he was hurt, but couldn't shake how cross she felt, this just proved to her that he still thought she could snap again at any moment, and nothing she did could change that.

"I was busy working, it was you that wanted me to go back to the Bistro wasn't it? I can't spend the rest of my life at your beck and call just so you don't worry! Now if you don't mind, I need to get back to it."

With that she stormed past him and through to the kitchen, praying that nobody would let on that she hadn't actually been given a job at all. She watched him leave looking dejected and felt a pang of guilt, her anger finally starting to abate. She would ring him when she got home, let him stew for a bit first; he needed to get the message even if part of her was flattered that he cared so much. Maybe she'd let him make it up to her later. She busied herself tidying up ready for evening service, before approaching Kate about the possibility of more shifts; she'd enjoyed today and hoped she hadn't stepped on her toes too much by taking the lead.

Kate was just explaining that she would need to check with Robert when he walked through the door, looking harassed and heading straight to the kitchen without even acknowledging their presence. Carla asked her sister where he'd been, but Kate had no idea, she was clearly annoyed that once again he'd left them in the lurch, and questioned if Michelle even knew that he'd abandoned their business with no explanation. Carla decided there was no time like the present and went after him, ignoring his eye roll as she apologised for her previous over-reaction and asking if her job was still available. When he confirmed that the hours were hers if she wanted them she decided to broach the more controversial subject.

"That poor lad you pulled in as cover today, did you even check who he was? He'd never been in charge of a kitchen before you know, I think he nearly had a heart attack when he saw how busy it was!"

Robert just looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to make her point, so she continued.

"You seem to be disappearing a lot lately, are you sure everything is alright? Is there anything I can do?"

He shifted uncomfortably "Well minding your own business would be a good start. Just because I've let you have a job here doesn't give you the right to know every aspect of my life."

"Well I care about Michelle, and don't want to see her hurt, so if you're in trouble you can tell me you know." She was trying to be reasonable but could tell he was just getting more worked up.

"How many times do I have to say, I just have a lot on at the moment. Thanks for your help today, it is appreciated, but I've got to get on."

With that he turned and busied himself with prepping the vegetables in front of him, conversation over. Carla took her cue to leave, more curious than ever. Robert was clearly up to something. She had suspected it before, and he had thrown her off the scent with the revelations about her family's secret group chat, but this time she would be cleverer. She was going to find out what he was up to whether he liked it or not. That would wait until tomorrow though, right now she had more pressing things on her mind, well one in particular, and they had some making up to do…


	2. Chapter 2

"Does that mean I need yet another bridesmaid dress? I don't think your blood stains ever came out of the last one."

Carla leaned back into the sofa at Michelle's flat, cradling her coffee mug, anticipating her best friend's response.

"Well you can hardly talk, the amount of times I've helped you plan your many weddings!" Michelle swiped at Carla playfully, attempting a look of indignation but failing miserably.

Carla stifled a laugh, "Ok, fair enough, I'm still beating you on that score; what can I say, I'm a pro at getting to the alter, it's the bit after I struggle with!"

Michelle had just informed her of the secret wedding plans, swearing her to secrecy, unable to hide her excitement at the prospect of finally getting hitched to Robert.

"At least we're guaranteed less drama than your last attempt, getting shot by a serial killer whilst in your wedding frock will be hard to beat!"

Carla was of course thrilled that Michelle seemed so happy, she had seen her friend go through more than her fair share of heartbreak over the years; but she still couldn't shake the niggling feeling that Robert wasn't all he seemed. In the few days she had been back working at the Bistro she had been unable to ignore his hushed phone conversations and continued disappearing acts. She took a sip of her drink, contemplating if she should bring up her suspicions, before looking up to find Michelle staring at her intently.

"What, have I got something in my teeth?"

"Michelle shook her head and took her hand, suddenly serious,

"No I've just missed this, missed you, sarcasm and all. I'm so glad I've got my bestie back, you had us all worried for a while you know."

"Yeah, well I guess I've got the drugs to thank for that, they're doing a great job keeping the craziness at bay."

Noticing Michelle's unease at her flippant answer she decided to quickly change the subject, still unsure how to best broach her concerns about Robert. She decided subtle was the way to go, although in truth subtlety had never been her forte.

"So is this wedding the reason Robert's seemed so busy lately then? Have you been sending him to run all the errands now you're some big shot hotel manager?"

Michelle raised her eyebrows as she shook her head, smirking as she replied.

"I wish! He's about as useful as a chocolate teapot. To be honest he seems more concerned about those young offenders he's on a mission to save, one filet mignon at a time!" She started to get into her stride "I mean don't get me wrong, I'm proud of him, of course I am, but I was hoping once the novelty wore off things would calm down a bit. No such luck though, he's taking more on then ever…"

"Carla nodded sympathetically before staring reflectively into her now empty mug as her friend continued. She was convinced that this was not the whole story, but Michelle was in love, why would she doubt him? It's amazing what you can miss when you've fallen under someone's spell, as Carla knew only too well. There was no point speaking up and risking a rift with her friend until she had proof that he was up to no good; she didn't even know for sure that he was, maybe her imagination was running away with her. She needed to work out what he was hiding and why, so decided to bide her time and wait for him to slip up before saying anything more. She looked up to see Michelle had stopped talking and was staring at her quizzically.

"Sorry am I boring you? Anyway, enough about us, how about you and Peter? Are the pair of you still acting like randy teenagers?"

Carla grinned, before launching enthusiastically into the details of their date the previous evening; now this was a topic she could talk about for hours.

* * *

Later that morning Robert was in the Bistro office attempting to plan the menu alterations for the following week, although his mind kept drifting back to the more pressing matter of how on earth he could get himself out of the almighty mess he was in. He wondered for what must have been the thousandth time how he had been so stupid. Why hadn't he come clean to Michelle about Vicky and the baby right from the start? Yes, she would have been upset, but there was a fair chance that once she had calmed down they could still have made it work. Now he felt so out of his depth it was a wonder he was still treading water at all. Having said that, things seemed to have calmed down for the moment. He had finally got Vicky's ex off his back; fortunately his assessment of that low-life had been right all along, and his silence could be bought for the right price. Michelle's job forced her to spend a couple of nights away most weeks, which meant with the excuse of visiting the young offenders in Stoke he was managing to juggle his time between the two women without arousing anyone's suspicion. Well almost. Right on cue Carla breezed into the office, throwing her bag on the side as she removed her jacket and hung it on the stand in the corner, saying a rushed hello before disappearing off to start her shift. Robert knew she was on to him, she had a habit of appearing at exactly the wrong moment, and she was way too interested in his comings and goings. He was sure she didn't know exactly what was going on, if she did then Michelle would be her first stop and the house of cards he had so precariously built would come crashing down around him. He couldn't let that happen, OK there was no way this could end well but if he could at least make it through until the baby was born and the birth registered, then he could break it off with Vicky and maybe find a way to still see his child, and if he and Michelle were married it might be easier to persuade her to give him one more chance. He sighed, was he just deluding himself? Maybe, but it was the best chance he had, and he wouldn't let anyone get in the way of that. He needed Carla off his back, and quickly.

Walking out of the office he spotted Carla cheerfully attending to the first customers arriving for the lunchtime service, still watching her as she went to prepare the drinks order. There was no way he could sack her; Michelle would be furious, and anyway she had done nothing that he knew of to warrant it. Watching her move between the various tables and joking with the other staff on shift he begrudgingly accepted that she was actually very good at the job. She must have noticed him looking across as she glanced up and flashed him a quick smile, dropping off a tray of drinks to some waiting diners before walking over to speak to him.

"Everything alright? Did you want something? Or are you working up to telling us you've got to rush off again? I hope you haven't forgotten we've got that table of 10 booked to arrive in half an hour so it wouldn't go down well with Kate, anyone would think..."

"No, nothing like that," he cut her off mid-sentence, "I'm here for the rest of the day don't you worry."

"Well was there a reason you were staring over at me then? Have I done something you're not happy with?"

He shook his head, "I wasn't staring, you're just being paranoid."

He didn't realise what he had said until the words were already out of his mouth. Carla recoiled from him looking shocked, before trying to compose herself, muttering about needing to get back to work and hurrying off to the kitchen. He was about to follow her and apologise when an idea flashed into his mind. She had come so far in her recovery over the last few weeks, but this showed, unsurprisingly, that she must still be haunted by recent events. As awful as it was, maybe he could use it to his advantage. If her sanity was in question, her suspicions about him would look like delusions, symptoms of her condition instead of a means to bring his world crashing down. The question now was could he really be that cruel?

"Hey love!"

The door to the bistro swung open and he saw Michelle making her way towards him, a broad smile on her face as she rushed to tell him her latest news. He realised he already knew the answer, he would protect his secret by any means necessary.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you think Carla's doing OK?"

Robert wrapped his arms around Michelle's waist, and she turned to face him, abandoning the breakfast she was preparing to look at him questioningly.

"Yes, she seems fine, what makes you ask?"

"I don't know really," he paused for dramatic effect, "she has just seemed distracted the last couple of times I've worked with her, and a bit jumpy, not herself. Maybe I've imagined it."

Michelle's expression switched to concern. "Do you think she's struggling again?"

"I really don't know love, ignore me, it's probably nothing. I'll see you later." He kissed her forehead softly before turning to leave for the Bistro, objective achieved.

* * *

Carla was already on shift when Robert arrived, busy setting the tables, avoiding his gaze as he walked through to the office. She realised he most likely hadn't meant anything by his comment the previous evening, but it had stung, and as hard as she tried to shake it off, she couldn't. He had been watching her, she was sure of it, so why deny it? Unless she really had imagined it of course; after all, it wouldn't be the first time her brain had deceived her would it? She knew that she needed to put it out of her mind, stop obsessing so much; if Robert was up to no good he would slip up soon enough, liars always do. She glanced at her watch, four hours left of her shift before she and Peter had an afternoon date planned; Roy would be out until late that night on some bat watching expedition so they intended to make the most of the opportunity. She decided to concentrate on this, not let Robert ruin any more of her day.

By the time she had got through through lunch service Carla had become increasingly frustrated. Nothing seemed to be going right; a couple of the orders she was certain she had passed through to the kitchen had gone missing, and she could have sworn that Robert was enjoying her discomfort as she rushed around trying to appease the affected customers. She had tried to keep out of his way as much as possible but couldn't help noticing how abruptly he ended his phone conversation when she came within earshot, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out before quickly hanging up and walking off. Thankful when her shift was finally over, she went to grab her bag, stopping at the office door when she heard Robert's voice inside.

"Of course I will baby, I'll see you in a few hours, yes I will, love you too, bye."

Carla felt a mixture of relief that she hadn't been imagining it and devastation for her best friend. Michelle was away tonight at a function, so couldn't have been on the other end of that call. She knew what that meant, had worked out his secret; it was a woman that he was trying to hide…

* * *

Carla stood in Roy's kitchen completely lost in thought, any efforts to make the coffee forgotten, trying to work out how on earth she was going to tell Michelle, when she was brought back to the present by the welcome feeling of Peter's arms snaking around her waist as he pulled her towards him, nuzzling her neck.

"I thought I'd come and find you love, I was dying of thirst in there!"

She turned to face him, smiling as he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.

"Sorry, I'm just got things on my mind today, you go back to bed, I'll be back for round two in a minute."

She started to reach for the kettle but he stopped her, instead taking her hand and leading her to the sofa; sitting down beside her smiling gently as he waited for her to speak. She both loved and hated that he could read her so well, that he knew that there was something she needed to get off her chest.

"I was going to talk to you later about it, I don't want it getting in the way of our afternoon plans."

She leaned forward and softly kissed him, closing her eyes as she reached to caress his hair, her lips lingering sensuously just out of his reach, waiting for him to make the next move, to take her back to the ecstasy of a few minutes ago. Instead she felt him gently moving away from her and as she looked up at him he shook his head.

"Love I'm having an amazing afternoon, but if there's something wrong I'm not going to just ignore it am I? How about I finish making the coffees and you tell me what's going on?"

She nodded as he walked over to the kettle, it would be a relief to talk it over, work out her next move. She wished she'd told him her suspicions days ago but until now she'd had nothing to go on but a hunch that something wasn't right. As he bought the drinks over and sat down beside her she took a deep breath and started to recount what she had heard.

"Ok, well it's Robert, he's having an affair. I heard him on the phone to a woman earlier, and I'm trying to decide the best way to tell Michelle." She waited for Peter's reaction, but his expression didn't change as he reached out and stroked her cheek.

"Are you sure that's what happened love? That you're not exaggerating it, drawing the wrong conclusion?" A mixture of confusion and anger replaced her relief as she stared at him, unsure why he was questioning her.

"I know what I heard Peter, he's been acting shifty for ages, and he's been watching me at work, like he knows I'm on to him."

Peter still didn't react like she had expected him to, wanted him to, and she felt herself starting to get upset.

"I don't understand what's happening here, do you not believe me?"

"It's not that love, I'm just worried about you." Carla didn't like where this was going, she moved away from him as he continued. "Michelle spoke to me earlier and said that Robert was concerned that you hadn't been yourself. I told her not to worry and that you seemed fine to me, but I don't know Carla, maybe you should take a few days break, look after yourself."

"I knew it! Don't you see Peter, it's all Robert. He's got some vendetta against me because he knows that I can see what's going on!" She leapt up, trying to control the emotion bubbling to the surface, moving away as Peter tried to take her hand. If the one person she thought she could count believed that she was still crazy then what chance did she have of convincing anybody else, Michelle included?

"Please don't get upset love, it's just I remember what you were like when you were ill, the paranoia, I am trying to look out for you that's all."

That was the final straw. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"I want you to leave, now Peter! And just so you know, this isn't me being paranoid, it's me being angry that my boyfriend doesn't trust me!" She walked into the bathroom and slammed the door; this was not like last time, she wasn't ill, she was in control. At least she thought she was. She leaned against the door and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing pulse, let the anger subside. She could hear Peter pleading from the other side of the door, and knew she had to go back out and face him, persuade him that she was alright. After taking a couple of minutes to compose herself she unfastened the lock and slowly pushed the door open, her eyes meeting Peter's as she walked back into the lounge, speaking before he had chance.

"I know you worry because you care Peter, but I am OK, honestly. I just want to move on with my life. Maybe you're right, I have been pushing myself too hard. I'll speak to my key-worker at the next appointment."

She watched his expression soften before he pulled her into a hug, seemingly convinced by her little speech. She was glad about this, but felt a surge of loneliness that she could no longer confide in him, or anyone, without them jumping to the wrong conclusions. Maybe he couldn't read her that well after all. She was determined to prove that she was right, get irrefutable evidence to show them all, Peter and Michelle included, that she wasn't mad and Robert wasn't the man they thought he was. She just needed to figure out how.


End file.
